Latch mechanism



= 1 (m 11,1921 J'LEDWINKA 3 LATCH MECHANISM Filed D00- 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet I5 30 l 4-5 Al INVENTOR J. LEDWINKA LATCH MECHANISM Filed Dec. 7, 1925 2 Sheets-Shoot 2 INVENTOR J05 PH LEDWINKH J II! A! tall I I a14AIllllilllllllll type.

Patented Oct. 11, 1927.

UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE...

JOSEPH LEDWINKA, F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO EDWARD G.

BUDD MANUFACTURING 00., OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORA- LATCH MECHANISM.

Application filed December My invention relates mainly to a type of latch mechanism in which the depth of the body of the mechanism in the plane of the door is a minimum, thereby making it posb sible to extend the window glass to a maximum extent with the result of minimizing the opaque projection of the latch mechanism and the door frame. The principal object of the present invention is the production of a latch mechanism t-l1e'bolt and keeper relations of which the more especially adapt the latch mechanism to embodiment in a form having that minimum depth in the plane of the door. There are, as is Well known. a great number of forms of bolts and keepers. such for exam le, as simple sliding bolts, swinging bolts, ifting bolts and the like. The con'ihination ot' the present invention is a latch bolt efl'ecting latching engage ment with its keper through relative movement of the keeper and the latch bolt in the horizontal plane, and unlatchifig engagement therewith through relative movement in the vertical plane. Such engagements of If) bolt and keeper are brought about through an elenient of the mechanism which I term an interlocking device which extends from an outside latch operating mechanism directly or indirectly to the inside latch operating mechanism and enables the latch engagement and dis-engagement to be effected either through the outside or the inside latch mechanisms. This interlocking device is commonly that portion of the latch mechanism which is, as aforesaid, that of least depth in the plane of the door.

In the particular embodiment which I shall show herein, I utilize a latch bolt on the door having a combined sliding movement in the horizontal plane as in the case of the usual sliding bolt and an oscillating movement in the vertical plane, as in an unusual common sliding bolt, and .coacting \vitha fixed keeper on the post of the usual The interlocking device is then a simple pressed metal stamping of relatively thin horizontal cross section inter-leaved between the side edge of the window member and the inside face of the jamb rail of the door.

Of the drawings Figure 1 is a horizontal section substantially centrally of the latch mechanism showing the elements of the door 7, 1925. Serial No. 73,565.

and post in the neighborhood of the latch mechanism. v

Fig. 2 is a three quarters front sectional perspective view of the post and its latch keeper.

Fig. 3 is a three ciuarters sectional perspective of the inside atch operating mecha nism and the latch bolt, and a Fig. 4 is a similar view of the outside latch operating mechanism and the interlocking device.

The door and post are of the now well known pressed metal construction. 10 is the jamb rail of the door. It is of the double Z cr ss section the middle arln 11 of which constitutes the rabbet of the door and the outer and inner arms of which 12 and 13 constitute respectively means of anchorage for the outer paneling 14 and the inner paneling 15 of the door. The panelings are usually electrically welded in place. The outer paneling in addition is lapped around the outer arm 12 to constitute the finished overlap portion of the door.

The door post 16 is in general of channel cross section and is in some part of its body provided with a rabbet (not shown) coact- 'mg with the rabbet 11 on the door. The door overlap 12 overlaps the outer face of this post.

Lodged within the body of the'lower portion of the door (not shown) and intermediate the inner and outer panels 14-45 is the window glass or extensible portion 17. This member is adapted for sliding movement, up to close the window and down to place the window glass within the body of the door. It is mounted in a glass' run channel 18 formed jointly bv an inwardly facing angle member welded to the inner face of jamb rail 10 adjacent the rabbet 11. The glass run channel is provided with the usual felt lining. A similar mounting is provided in connection with the hin e rail of the door, but need not be shown .or the purposes of disclosure of the present invention. Thus the side edge of the extensible or window member lies substantially over against the inner face of the pressed metal jamb rail 10. The jamb rail 10 is of but a single thickness of metal and the rabbet and channel 18 are but of the depth required to provide a sufficient guide for the edge of the glass run and thereby the opaque projection of the jamb rail portion of the door is reduced to a veritable minimum; This is especially true with certain forms of doors of my invention in which the upper portion of the window frame is constituted only by the outer main body of the Z and the outer and intermediate arms 12 and 11. And there are other forms where the feature'is fully realized.

Inside of the extensible portion 17 is mounted the latch bolt 20. Mounting is upon a latch late 21 having an outer ortion 22 throug which it is mounted against the inner face of the jamb rail 11 in a well known manner. Latch bolt 20, as clearly appears in Figs. 1 and 3, is mounted upon a pivoting member 23 projecting from the outer face of the latch plate 21. Pi ot 23 rojects through an elongated slot 47 in the ody of the latch bolt 20 and extending from its rear end. forwardly almost to the jamb rail 10. The latch bolt is confined upon this pivot by I the oscillating inside operating lever 24 mounted upon the same pivot 23 and having its downwardly extended end provided with a forward extension 25 which underlies the body of the latch bolt 20. A spiral s ring 26 confined in any suitable manner between the inner end of the slot 47 and an abutment 27 formed by pressing inwardly of the slot a portion of the latch plate 21, biases the latch bolt outwardly into latching engagement with its keeper 28 mounted on the jamb face of the door post 16. A stop 48 in the form of a screw passing through the body of the bolt in a vertical plane to the rear of pivot 23 limits the for example,

degree of outward movement of the bolt. More readily adjustable means may be used if "desired, by which the degree of outward projection of the bolt may be adjusted. A second spiral spring 29 confined between the up er side of the front portion of the bolt an an abutment .30 formed also by pressing outwardly a portion of the latch plate 21 biases the bolt downwardly into engagement with the bottom 31 of an upwardly elongated slot 32 in the jamb rail 10. The spring 29 may be connected to the tab 30 or to the bolt if desired in any suitable manner, as, Y b the use of the pin 30 shown in Figure 3. This in extends downwardly within the spring rom the tab 30 and is secured to such tab by upsetting the end of the pin or by any other well known means. So mounted and arranged the bolt may partake both of sliding movement in the hori zontal plane and an oscillatory movement in the vertical plane.

The outside latch operating mechanism is designated generally 33. As contra-distinguished from the inside latch mechanism,

-it is provided with a horizontally arranged operating spindle operated by a handle on the outside of the door (not shown) in the usual manner. This spindle 34 is journaled menace in the arms 35-36 of a U-shaped latch plate 37. The inner'arm 36 terminates short of the jamb rail of the door but the outer arm 35 extends all the way to the jamb rail of the door and has its outer end bent inwardly to lie over against the inner face of the jamb rail 10 and be secured thereto in any suitable manner. Between the 7 arms 35-36 the spindle carries the double armed rollback 38.

This roll-back 38 engages and operates from the outside of the door the interlocking device 39. The interlocking device as aforesaid is in the form of a pressed metal stamping. In the form shown the stamp ing is comprised of two branches, an outer branch 40 and an inner branch 41. The outer branch 40 has a main bod 42 interleaved between the roll-back and the inner face of the latch plate and guided vertically thereby. Its upper edge is outtu'rned to overlie the upper face of the rollback 38 and to be enga ed thereby whereby to reciprocate the b0 y 42 in the vertical plane. The inner arm 41 is extended through the cut away portion 43 of the glass run channel 18 over against the inner face of the jamb rail 10 inwardly throu h the elongated slot 44 in the rabbet 11 o the rail and thence deflected rearwardly and inwardly to underlie the outer end 45 of the latch bolt-20. This underlying end of the interlocking member is provided with a small flange as shown to secure adequate bearing surface and strength. Spring 29 of the inside latch operating mechanism (designated generally 46) bearsthe latch bolt 20 down upon the interlocking device 39 and in turn bears the interlocking device down upon the upper face of the rollback 38 whereby in the normal position of the parts all lost motion is eliminated and rattle prevented.

To operate the latch from the outside one .has only to turn the handle connected with spindle 34 in either direction, whereupon the interlocking member 39 is raised and the outer end of latch bolt 20 lifted to lift it free of the keeper 28. By suitable adjustment of the height of the engagement portion of keeper 28 this lift movement may be made greater or less as may be desired. To operate the latch bolt from the inside one has only to operate the lever 24 of the inside latch operating mechanism, oscillating it rearwardly whereupon the underlying arm 25 lifts the outer end of the bolt by an oscillatory movement of the bolt 20 about its axis 23, to effect a similar dis-engagement of the bolt from keeper 28. Thus, the disengagement of the bolt both from the outside and the inside is brought about by movement of the latch bolt in the vertical plane. Latching engagement, however, upon the slamming of the door, as is the usual practice, is brought about by the engagement of the outer end 45 of the bolt 20 with the inclined faces of the keeper 28 to slide the latch bolt 20 rearwardly 1n the horizontal plane and to ratchet it past the keeper. ()n the other hand, however, if it be deslred to close the door quietly, either the inside or the outside latch operating mechanism may be used to preliminarily lift the latch bolt in the vertical plane whereby its outer end 45 will pass free over the upper edge of the keeper 28, and upon the doors being moved to fully closed position, 1t may be released and permitted to assume its en gaging position. V

Through this mechanism and its resulting operation the objects of my invention are attained. It is feasible to constitute the interlocking device 39 in a direct connection between the outer latch operating mechanism 33 and the latch bolt 20 itself. It is feasible further to constitute it a simple sort of pressed metal stamping, relatively thin in cross section, and having an insuflicient horizontal cross section in the portion traversing the projected plane of the path of movement of the extensible member 17, to require the extensible portion 17 to be removed from its position of closed adjacency to the inner face of jamb rail 10. It is but necessary, as shown, to cut away the bottom of the glass run channel 18 (Fig. 4) sufiiciently to perniit the full stroke of the interlocking device 39, or but to remove a slight portion of the felted lining 19 in ad dition. Thus, the side edge of the extensible member 17 may lie over against the inner face of the jamb rail 10. Further the complication of interconnecting and interlinking elements between the interlocking member and the inside and outside latch operating n'iechanisms with which it is related is wholly elin'iinated, in which case the interlocking member connects directly with the associated parts, on the outside directly with the roll-back, on the inside directly with the latch bolt.

The modifications of which skill may find my invention capable are to be comprehended within the scope of the annexed claims even as is the embodiment herein shown.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. A latch mechanism for an automobile door adapted to have a window member of substantially the 'full width of thc body of the door arranged for slidable movement in said door with the side edge thereof in close proximity to the jamb face ot'the door, comprising inside and outside latch operating devices carried by the door on opposite sides of the path of movement of said window member. an interlocking device extendign across the path of movement of the window member. and a latch bolt effecting latching engagement with its keeper; through relative movement in the vertical plane which relative movement is brought about through said interlocking device.

A latch mechanism for an automobile door adapted to have a window member of substantially the full width of the body of the door arranged for slidable movement in said door with the side edge thereof in close proximity to the jamb face of the door, comprising inside and outside latch operating devices carried by the door on opposite sides of the path of movement of said window member, and an interlocking device extending across the path of movement of the window member and connecting with the inside and outside latch operating devices whereby a latch bolt may be operated from either side of the window member, and a latch bolt directly engaged and operated by said interlocking device.

3. A latch mechanism for an automobile door adapted to have a window member of substantially the full width of the body of the door arranged for slidable movement in said door with the side edge thereof in close proximity to the jamb face of the door comprising inside and outside latch operat ing devices carried by the door on opposite sides of the path of movement of said window member, an interlocking device extending across the path of movement of the window member and connecting with the inside and outside latch operating devices whereby a latch bolt may be 0 erated from either side of the window mom or, and a latch bolt operable to disengaged position by said opcrating devices through a movement in one plane and to engaged position independently of said operating devices through a movement in another plane.

4L. A latch mechanism for an automobile door adapted to have a window of substantially the full width of the door slidably arranged therein comprising a latch bolt, inside and outside operating meansjor said latch bolt, said latch bolt being operable by said operating means to disengage the same from its keeper by a movement in one plane and operable independently thereof through a movement in another plane to ofl'cct keeper engaged position.

5. A latch mechanism for an automobile door adapted to have a window of substantially the full width of the door slidably arranged therein comprising a latch bolt adapted to have a swinging movement and a rectilinear movement, inside and outside latch operating devices, an interlocking member between said devices, said operating devices being adapted to operate said bolt through its swinging movement to disengage the same from its keeper. said bolt effecting keeper engaged position independently thereof through its rectilinear movement.

(3. A latch mechanism for an automobile door adapted to have a window of substantially the full width of the door slidably arranged therein comprising a latch bolt, inside and outside latch operating devices, an interlocking member extending across the side edge of the window operatively connecting said devices, and a latch bolt, said bolt being operable by said devices to keeper engaged and disengaged position through a swinging movement and operable independently thereof to keeper engaged position through a rectilinear movement.

7. A latch mechanism for an automobile door adapted to have a window of substantially the full width of the door slidably arran ed therein comprising a latch bolt capab l e of having a plurality of different movements, means circumventing the side edge of the window whereby said bolt may be operated from outside the door to keeper engaged and disengaged position by one form of movement, means arranged on the inside of the door for similarly operating said bolt, and means independent of the aforementioned means for elfecting keeper engaged position of the bolt by a different form of movement thereof.

8. A latch mechanism for an automobile door adapted to have a window of substantially the full width of the door slidably arranged therein comprising a latch bolt' capable of having a plurality of different movements, means circumventing the side edge of the window and havin a vertical sliding movement whereby said bolt may be operated from outside the door to keeper engaged and disengaged position by one form of movement thereof, means arranged on the inside of the door for operating said bolt by the same form of movement, and means independent of the aforementioned means for effecting keeper engaged position of the bolt by a different form of movement thereof.

9. A latch mechanism for an automobile door adapted to have a window of substantially the full width of the door slidably arranged therein comprising a latch bolt, an outside operating device operativelyconnected to said bolt by means extending transversely of the door beyond the side edge of the window, said means imparting in operation a swinging movement to said bolt, an inside operating device imparting in operation a swinging movement to said bolt independently of the outside device, and means independent of either operating device for effecting rectilinear movement of said bolt to engage the same with its keeper.

10. A latch mechanisnrfor an automobile door adapted to have a window member of substantially the full Width of the body of the door arranged for slidable movement therein with the side edge thereof in close proximity to the jamb face of the door comprising inside and outside latchoperating devices carried by the door on opposite sides of the path of movement of said window member, an interlocking device extending in the vertical plane, which relative movement is brought about through said interlocking device.

11. A latch mechanism for an automobile door adapted to have a window member of substantially the full width of the body of the door arranged for slidable movement in said door with the side edge thereof in close proximity to the jamb face of the door comprising inside and outside latch operating devices carried by the door on opposite sides of the path of movement of said window member, an interlocking device extending across the path of movement of the window member and partaking of a vertical sliding movement in its interlocking function, and a latch bolt eli'ecting latching engagement with its keeper through relative movement in the vertical plane, which relative movement is brought about through said interlocking device.

12. A latch mechanism for an automobile door adapted to have a window member of substantially the full width of" the body of the door arranged for slidable movei'nent therein with the side edge thereof in close proximity to the jamb face of the door, comprising inside and outside latch operating devices carried by the door on opposite sides of the path of movement of said window member, an interlocking device extending across the path of movement of the window member, and a latch bolt directly engaged by one latch operating device and integrally engaged by the other latch operating device through the intermediary of the interlocking device.

13. A latch mechanism for an automobile door adapted to havea window member of substantially the full width of the body of the door arranged for slidable movement in said door with the side edge thereof in close proximity to the jamb face of the door, comprising inside and outside latch operating devices carried by the door on opposite sides of the path of movement of said window member, an interlocking device extending across the path-of movement ofthe window member and around the side edge thereof, and a latch bolt etfecting latching engagement with its keeper through relative move ment in the vertical plane, which relative movement is brought about through said interlocking device.

14. A latch mechanism for an automobile door adapted to have a window member of substantially the full width'ot the body of the door arranged for slidahle movement in said door with the side edge thereof in close proximity to the jamh l'acc o l' the door comprising inside and outside latch operating devices carried by the door on opposite sides of the path of movement of said window member. an interlocking device extending; across the path of movement of the window member and connected with the inside and outside latch operating devices, whereby a latch bolt may be operated d'rom either side of the window member, said outside latch operating device embodying a roll back, a latch bolt directly engaged and operated by said interlocking device, and a single spring exerting; pressure commonly upon the bolt, the interlocking device and the roll back.

15. A latch mechanism for an automobile door adapted to have a window member of substantially the full width of the body of the door arranged for slidable movement. therein with the side edge thereof in close proximity to the jamb face ol the door comprising inside and outside latch operating devices carried by the door on opposite sides of the path of movement of said Window member, one of said latch operating devices including a roll back, and an interlocking device between the latch operating devices extending across the path of movement of the window member by means of which a latch bolt may be operated from either of said operating devices, which interlocking device is directly engaged by the roll back.

In testimony whereof I hereunto atlix my signature.

JOSEPH LEDWINKA. 

